DiH68

Yeah they’ve definitely given it a go. Just outclassed. I really wish last week’s Aus-NZ semi had been the final though. That game deserved the big stage and the big crowd

What’s the costs involved? I can’t imagine those wheelchairs are cheap… do the clubs provide them, or do the players have to get their own?

Yeah I didn’t understand it either. Would be interested to know what he meant

Oh I agree there’s not much we could do about it. But it looks very very dodgy

If England lose this, I think they would have every right to make an official complaint now, given the behavior of the French ref. if he was the one that called those debatable decisions, and now he’s acting like this, that definitely raises some questions.

The Aussie cricketers and their Sandpapergate have nothing on this

Brown for SPOTY!!!

Bloody ref! Is he an Aussie?

I wonder if the obsession about the number of people attending games is a very British thing? I've been in Australia for several years now, and they don't care about numbers in the ground - it's all about numbers watching on TV. That's what drives sponsorships - you have people watching on TV, you have people to advertise to. I'd hazard a guess that's because it's far harder as a sponsor to engage somebody who is at the game. People watching on TV will see your name over and over. There have been games at the Olympic Stadium in Sydney which holds maybe 80,000-odd where there's only been 10k in attendance. Nobody cares! As long as the viewing figures stack up.

Honestly don’t know, probably because there isn’t really a set international calendar and organizing bodies just seem to play games whenever they want. And that’s the problem.

I tend to agree with @MatthewWoody here. Origin is a huge success in every way. The intensity, the level of the game, the passion, the commercial benefits. When you hit on a winning formula you don’t scrap it - you try to replicate it. And you don’t ‘dumb down’ a concept to the lowest common denominator. it’s up to the international game to raise its level (in terms of spectator interest, commercial gains etc) to that of Origin. I’m fairly sure that if we had more competitive international games, that would happen. Currently the international game is all over the shop. Origin has really just capitalized on an opportunity. Yes, that needs Australia to fully buy into the international game. But I think it has. it has done quite a bit for the Pacific islands and PNG. It’s not Australia’s fault we just can’t seem to offer a decent level of competition

This is great. The first 30 seconds I was thinking ‘nothing really extraordinary about 20 people scattered along the side of the road’ but when they get to the main road it’s brilliant. I’m in Brisbane and apparently in the Redbank Plains area which has a big Pacific Islands community, police were called today to break up all the crowds of people this morning. I think the local Samoans were basically doing what they are doing in this video - hooning around, beeping their horns, letting off fireworks. remember the game started at half past midnight here so I don’t think some of the locals were too happy being kept awake all night by the celebrations

There’s people wearing short sleeves… at a match in England… in November!!! And that’s why we play games down south

Hopefully some Londoners will have watched that game tonight and decide to get in on the action tomorrow. Couldn’t have asked for a better advert

We’ve got Vossy and an English player (not sure who) commentating and they were questioning that tackle. They’ve been doing a great job so far

Wait, what? I’m watching in Aus and we’ve got Vossy commentating

Looks great on TV!

It’s not even 6am here in Queensland, I’m hungover and you’re all talking about drinking… you’re not helping

No!! It’s 2am here in Brisbane, I’ve been at a gig before this match, I’m absolutely knackered and I have to start work in six hours. Please no extra time

Feck’s sake. Fiji are going to be heartbroken after this

I really hope Fiji’s heads don’t drop after that - they can still win this

Terrible decision. In theory could Fiji challenge the successful challenge?

Yes

I’m not buying that. There’s no reason to think NZ would automatically be better than this just because they’re playing the Aussies. If they repeat this again they would get mullered. If Fiji could repeat this they might at least give the Aussies a game. Having said that, I don’t really see either of these teams troubling them Aussies too much.

I bet there’s a few people watching on TV in Hull who wish they’d gone to the game now. This is a cracker